Music for the Masses
by DJ Ron Slomowicz
11.13.2015
A roundup of great electro, drum&bass, house, vocal, future house, and progressive tracks.
Yall ft Gabriela Richardson - Hundred Miles - [RCA]
Coming from Barcelona, audiovisual collective YALL is making waves with “Hundred Miles.” The track melds trop house with the current Diplo/DJ Snake sound that pop radio has recently embraced. There is a freshness here, both with the beats and with the unique voice of Gabriela Richardson, who sounds like the offspring of Gabrielle and Eartha Kitt. On first listen, I swore that I had heard this before and quickly realized that it was that song I kept hearing in the Desigual stores all over Europe. You’ve got to respect a clothing brand that showcases new artists from their home country.
DJ Fresh & High Contrast ft Dizzee Rascal - How Love Begins - [MINISTRY OF SOUND]
The drum and bass revival from the likes of DJ Fresh, Sigma, and Rudimental continues to produce some of the best music of the year. DJ Fresh teams with High Contrast to blend '90s rave and jungle sounds together for a fresh 2015 vibe. “How Love Beings” starts off with a gospel vibe similar to Sigma, with wailing diva vocals and old school piano samples. This builds to a classic drum and bass track with Dizzee Rascal spitting his best lines of recent memory. If Suburban Bass was releasing music, this is what it would sound like (and that is a really high compliment). The only question is when will we finally get to enjoy the long awaited ‘Call This Fresh’ album from DJ Fresh. We’ve been teased with 7 incredible singles, come on, give us what we are waiting for.
Dr Meaker ft Laurent John - Good Fight [CIRCUS]
While on the gospel-inflected drum and bass tip, the inspirational “Good Fight” has been making the rounds the past few months. The uplifting lyrics by Laurent John just seem to float over the pretty intro that builds up to some intense drum and bass. The gospel chorus in the background makes it feel even more spiritual. In case drum and bass isn’t your thing, there are new mixes from Cyran (trappy house), Truth (dubstep), One Bit (house), and Diskord (trap). Of course, if you love D&B, check out the rerubs from TrollPhace and Hamilton.
Don Diablo & Khrebto - Got the Love [SPINNIN] and Crazibiza & Dragonfly - Got The Love - [PORNOSTAR]
Candi Staton’s “You Got the Love” is one of those classic records that seems to come back every few years with new remixes and cover versions. It would take a graduate school thesis to go through all of the history, just suffice it to say that Candi’s accapella is probably one of the most remixed vocals of all time. With all the different versions, it takes a lot to shine out from the proverbial pack. Two new covers do just that. Don Diablo enlists newcomer Khrebto for a fresh future house take with a bit of electro and a lot of energy. The mashed up and effected vocals bring new life to the lyrics. A few months ago Dragonfly resang the vocals and gave it a more summery vibe. The way she reinterprets the title line makes it sound like a whole new song altogether. Crazibiza’s house track is on point as always. Take a listen to both and see which one you will download to your mp3 player...
My Digital Enemy - Feeling Real - [SPRS]
There seems to be a point where a sound jumps the shark. Everyone jumps on a bandwagon and a plethora of soundalike releases clog up beatport and the inboxes of DJs. It’s safe to say that deep house and future house are both way past saturation. For a breath of fresh air, check out “Feeling Real,” which brilliantly mixes bassline house with ambient breaks for a euphoric yet edgy feel. The 2-step garage beats contrast with pretty atmospheric keyboards and support a classic-sounding vocal sample. While none of the base elements are unique or new, the way they are combined into something different make this worth tracking down. After listening, imagine how sickening a My Digital Enemy mix of that new Missy Elliot “WTF” track would sound.
Christopher Lawrence - Unbroken - [PHARMACY]
Sometimes you just need some trance in your life. Venerable DJ Christopher Lawrence mines the world of tech and psy trance for his monthly Rush Hour radio show. Listening to his Best of 2015 compilation, it is hard to choose a favorite with so many great tracks from the likes of Astrix, Johann Stone, and M-Theory- but listening to the 2.5 hour mix of edgy trance will give you a great counterpoint to the commercial pop radio version of trance currently in vogue. Take a listen to Christopher’s track “Unbroken” as a first taste of the epic mix and consider buying the whole set for your next road trip.
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